Moistener for envelops.



C. T. HUMPHREY.

MOISTENER FOR ENVELOPS. APPLwATIoN FILED SEPT. 22, wl.

1, 1 "17,387, Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

@Mou/tor CLHUDETH UMPH REY 3l/0176140.00@

THE NORRIS PErERS cu.. rnulwLITNO.. WASHINGTUN. D. C.

C. T. HUMPHREY. MOISTENER FOR ENVBLOPS. APPLICATION FILED swr. 2a, 191s.

1,1 17,387. Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

2 SHBBTB-SHIIET 2,

gnou/Ito@ CLHUDE H UMPH REY THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PMOTU-IITHOI. WASHING VON. n L

1 STA CLAUDE THAYEB I-IUMPHREY, OF GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA.

Morsfrnnnn ron ENvnLoPs.

Speecation of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

Application led September 22.1913. Serial No. 791,172.

To all whom it may Concern i Be it known that I, CLAUDE T. HUM- 1 rHREr, a citizen of the United States residing at Grand Island, in the county of I-Iall and State of Nebraska, have invented cerftain new and useful Improvements in Moisteners for Envelope, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This 'invention relates to certain improvements in moisteners for envelops and the object of the invention is to provide a device of this general character having novel and improved means whereby an envelop to be sealed may be readily and conven iently moistened without the necessity of adjusting the closing flap from its original position. j

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts whereby certain important advantages are attained and the device is rendered simpler', less expensive and otherwise more convenient and advantageous for use, all as will be hereini after more fully set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in the appended claim.

In order that my invention may be the better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accom panying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a view in top plan of a moistener constructed in accordance with my invention, the envelop and the co-acting hand being shown in dotted lines; Fig. Q is a view in top plan of the device, as shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a central horizontal sectional view taken through Fig. 1; Fig. 't is a sectional view taken on the line ivd of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-G of Fig. l; Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 2; Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the supporting plate and the adjacent parts, as herein set forth, illustrating certain details of construction; and Fig. 9 is a view, detached, of the clamping member, herein employed, in connection with a moistener pad.

As disclosed in the accompanying drawings, 1 denotes an elongated body preferably rectangular in form and produced of any suitable material and being afforded with an elongated chamber or well 2 adapt-` ed to contain a supply of fluid. While this chamber may be positioned as desired, I prefer that it be substantially central of the body 1 so that such body will possess suilicient strength to prevent it from becoming easily broken duringuse or from any other cause.

rIhe chamber 2 has a side of one of its end portions laterally enlarged, as at 3, and in `eounnunication with such enlarged portion o is the downwardly directed open ended wick slot 4: herein shown as produced in a longitudinal marginal portion of the body 1.

In alinement with the wick slot 4l and disposed transversely of the body and preferably formed integrally therewith is a plate 5 having the major portion of its under face spaced from the adjacent surface of the body 1 and disposed parallel thereto and thereby affording a passageway 6 through which the flap of the envelop to be sealed may pass thereby avoiding the necessity of adjusting such flap into an outwardly directed position relatively to the body of the envelop as is compulsory in devices of this general character.

The upper surface of the plate 5 is disposed on a downwardly directed incline toward its free end and this upper surface of the plate is adapted to have rested thereon the moistener pad 7 provided with an eX- tended portion or wick 8 adapted to project through the slot l, whereby the pad 7 may be maintained moistened or saturated by the 'luid within the chamber 2 through capillary attraction, as is believed to be obvious to those skilled in the art to which my present invention appertains.

The pad 7 is adapted to be removably held to the upper surface of the plate 5 and for lthis purpose I prefer to have the free edge portions of such plate grooved, as at 9, which grooved portion is overlapped by the marginal portions of the pad "I, such marginal portions being forced within the groove 9 through the medium of the spring clamping member l() formed of non-eorrosive material in a manner as is believed to be clearly apparent from the drawings.

By having the structure whereby the flap caused to undertravel the plate 5, it will he readily understood that after the body of the envelop is moved across the pad 7, to meisten the free marginal portion of the sealing face thereof, the adjacent elongated unobstructed surface of the body 1 readily permits requisite pressure being applied to the envelop as to cause the requisite adheren'ce of the flap to the body. In order that the flap of the envelop may be directed beneath the plate 5 with greater facility, I prefer to have the end portion of the body l adjacent thereto rounded, as at l1, and over which the ap Will readily and conveniently pass.

As it is my purpose to produce the body l of glass or other solid material, I find it of particular advantage to surround the.

marginal portions of the under surface of the body l with suitable yieldable material, as indicated by 12, whereby the device will not mar the surface on which it may be placed and in order to maintain the body l against sliding movement over the support on which it may be rested, I have the free lfaces of such strips serrated7 as indicated at 14.

F rom the foregoing description of my improvement, it is thought to be obvious that a moistener constructed in accordance with my invention is of an extremely simple and comparatively inexpensive nature' and is particuarly well adapted for use by reason of the convenience and facility With which the sealing operation of an envelop may be effected and it is also thought to from the foregoing description that my in- Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the be obvious vention is susceptible of some change and modification Without material departure from the principles and spirit thereof and for this reason I do not Wish to be understood as limiting myself vto the precise arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shovvn in carrying out my invention into practice except as dened by the appended claim.

I claim:

A device of the character described comprising a body having a chamber therein adapted to contain a fluid and having an open ended slot in communication with such chamber, of a plate positioned adjacent the slot and extended across the body, a lovver portion of the plate being spaced from the body, a pad resting upon the plate and extending through the slot to the chamber, the portion of the having its marginal portions overlying the edges of the plate, and removable means'for clamping such marginal portions of the pad to the edges of the plate.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature in the presence of tvvo Witnesses.

CLAUDE THA YER HUMPIIREY.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

pad positioned upon the plate i 

